Leaves - Don't Just Leave Them!

Welcome to the Neopian month of Gathering! The warm summer days are drawing to a close, the lazy days spent during the months of Relaxing and Swimming are now just distant memories, and Neopians everywhere are gearing themselves up for all the festivities that take place during the month of Gathering. There is the Annual Chocolate Ball to look forward to, plus the Poogle Parade and the Faerie Festival, and let's not forget the Annual Gormball Championships! The month of Gathering truly is a busy month in the Neopian calendar, and perhaps so called because of all the celebrations that take place which require Neopians to gather together to celebrate. Gone is the month of Hiding. Now is the time to come outside and be sociable and gather one, gather all!

There is another reason, however, why Neopians will be particularly busy this month. And, again, this could also be why the month of Gathering is thus called. Take a peek outside your neohome at your usually well-tended neogarden and what do you see? Your once immaculately mowed lawns are now covered with leaves from your once verdant-abundant trees, which now resemble sorry looking skeletons made from twigs. Autumn is upon us and every self-respecting neohome owner will spend a great deal of their time raking up the fallen leaves. Yes, they'll be gathering leaves in this, the month of Gathering!

Which then begs the question, what is one supposed to do with all these leaves? Do not despair - all your time spent gathering leaves need not be in vain. You don't need to leave the leaves to rot. They can be put to very good use. In fact, there is an abundance of items around Neopia made from leaves, and I'm here to tell you how your leaves can be recycled and converted into useful Neopian objects, with this handy list of leafy luxuries!

1. Clothing

If you're a dab hand with a needle and thread, why not run up an Autumn-themed outfit for yourself? What better way to celebrate the arrival of Autumn and the month of Gathering than by wearing a costume made from leaves? For example, the Beautiful Autumn Leaf Wings made from leaves turned from green to russet-red and gentle golds would add a splendid Autumnal feel to any Neopian garb.

2. Furniture

Autumn doesn't have to be just an outdoor occurance! Bring those fallen leaves inside and celebrate Autumn in the warmth of your neohome! An Autumn Leaf Welcome Mat, made from leaves in shades of greens, browns and reds could greet your visitors at your door and allow them to wipe their muddy feet, and you could dress your windows with Giant leaf Curtains to shut out those cold, windy Autumn evenings, while you illuminate your room with the warm glow from a Crystal Leaf Lamp, or perhaps hang Green Leaf String Lights on your walls. You could even add a Leafy Bench to your room for an extra gardeny feel.

3. Instruments

The month of Gathering is a busy month for festivities, as previously mentioned, so why not take the opportunity to show off your musical talents at these gatherings? Everyone loves a bit of music at a celebration! Your versatile leaves could be made into a Leafy Accordian, a Leafy Lyre, a Leafy Recorder, Leafy Drums or a Leafy Saxophone. If you have enough neofriends, you could even start your own Autumnal themed band!

4. School Supplies

Send your young Neopet off to school with Autumn themed school supplies! Don't fill their backpack with items that everyone else in their class will have - make your Neopet the envy of all their friends by making them a Fall Leaf Pen to write in their Altadorian Leafy Notebook with. You could even put a Leafy Illusen Hanky in their pocket, so they can wipe away their tears when they have those back to school blues!

5. Weapons

Impress your friends and become the talk of the Battledome by making leafy weapons! Your opponent certainly won't be expecting you to fight them with a simple leaf! Use green leaves to make a Leaf Shield and use brown leaves to make an Earth Faerie Autumn Leaf Shield. Try freezing leaves to make a Frozen Leaf Shuriken, or just throw a Geraptiku Attack Leaf at your opponent. Who would have thought something so tiny could cause so much damage?

6. Jewellery

While you're attending the myriad of celebrations during the month of Gathering, you'll be the envy of your fellow Neopians if you finish off your posh outfit with leafy jewellery. A Fall Leaf Necklace would make terrific use of red leaves, while a Fumpu Leaf Medallion would perfectly complement more colourful attire.

7. Food

You'll never starve during the month of Gathering with all these leaves falling from the trees because leaves can make deliciously tasting food! Simply adding sugar will make a Sugar Coated Leaf, add noodles to make a Leafy Noodle Soup, or find a variety of leaves to make a Fall Leaf Salad. For special treats, how about Glitter Leaf Candy, a Chomby Leafy Lollypop, or a Chocolate Ixi Leaf? If you're thirsty, you could make a warming cup of Glowleaf Tea and have some Leaf Biscuits for dunking.

The possibilities are endless! There are so many uses for all those fallen leaves strewn across your neogarden. Don't just gather them up and throw them away. Use your imagination! You could even have your own gathering in the month of Gathering. Invite your neighbours round to your leafy-decorated neohome, where they can dance to music played on leafy instruments while wearing outfits made from leaves and then serve up a feast of lovely leafy food! If all this sounds like a little too much effort for you (after all, the month of Gathering is a very busy month!) and you'd rather just leave the leaves where they are (see what I did there?), then all is not lost. You could just gather the leaves up and adorn your neogarden with a Pile of Autumn Leaves, or customise your neopet with a Beautiful Autumn Leaves Foreground. Hey, who doesn't love stomping around in a pile of leaves? Whatever you decide to do with your leaves this Autumn, it might be worthwhile investing in a Simple Wooden Rake!

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